Lt. Gene F. Rogge Biography-9
Returning Lt. Rogge's Le Phare Chronograph to Gene & Son Gregory
I contacted Gene's son, Lt. Colonel (Ret.) Gregory Rogge shortly after purchasing his dad's watch. Gregory -- also a career Air Force officer -- was of course surprised to hear from me. We began a correspondence that culminated in reuniting 96-year-old Gene with his Le Phare chronograph. As noted below, Gene did not remember his long-forgotten watch, but not surprising after 75 years.
Lt. Rogge is a genuine American hero -- a man who devoted his entire life to serving his country. His Le Phare watch is just a small footnote to his legacy, and will be treasured by his family for generations to come.
"You never actually own a watch...You merely look after it for the next generation"
eMail from Gregory Rogge / August 3, 2025:
"I was surprised to hear that you had found a watch belonging to my dad, Gene Rogge. I asked Dad about it (he’s still hanging in there at age 96) and he has no recollection of having a watch like this. However, as over 70 years has passed it is perhaps not surprising.
With the start of the Korean War he was reassigned quite a bit (two bases in Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Japan, three bases in Korea, and California in three years) and loss of baggage was not unusual. May I ask how it came across the watch?
That’s very kind of you to do research on him, although Dad says he’s surprised you could find 40 pages of internet information on him. While he had a very interesting military career (service in Korea and Vietnam, two dead stick landings, a bail out over the middle of the Pacific, resupplying radar sites in bad weather in Alaska, among others), most of it didn’t end up in newspapers of the time. I thank you for your diligence."
Pvt. Paul R. Thomer Biography-1
Paul Thomer's Watch Returned to His Family - Sept 2023
On Sept 9, 2023, Pvt. Thomer’s watch was returned to his daughter Deborah and her four siblings, exactly 80 years after Paul purchased it. They will treasure it as a tangible memory of their courageous Dad. Semper Fi.
Pvt. Paul Thomer -- 1942 Guadalcanal Marine & His Watch
Private Paul R. Thomer (1923–1992) fought at Guadalcanal as a member of the famed 1st Marine Division. Paul was from Pittsburgh PA, and enlisted in the Marines in January 1942.
The 1st Marine Division sailed from San Francisco in June, and landed on the island of Guadalcanal on Aug 7, 1942. This was the first major US amphibious landing of World War II. The invasion ignited a ferocious struggle with Japanese forces, marked by seven major naval battles, numerous clashes ashore, and almost continuous air combat through December 1942.
The fighting at Guadalcanal took a terrible toll; the 1st Division suffered 650 killed in action and 1,278 wounded, with a further 8,580 contracting malaria and other diseases. As one Marine recalled, ”the Division suffered 100% casualties, with the dead, wounded, and those sick from malaria, dengue fever, jungle rot, malnutrition and combat fatigue… “.
Battle-weary and in poor health following the Guadalcanal campaign, the men of the First Marine Division were shipped to Melbourne Australia for nine months recuperation in January 1943. “They were greeted with warm hospitality; these 15,000 young American men found a home away from home”.
On Feb 10, 1943, Paul Thome purchased a steel-cased wristwatch from a local Melbourne jewelry store, and had it engraved “Paul R. Thomer ~ U.S.M.C. ~ 343824 ~ Australia ~ 2-10-43”.
The 1st Division returned to combat in the South Pacific in October 1943, leading the December offensive at Cape Gloucester, New Britain. “The action they found there has been described as the toughest man has ever endured.” In July 1944, the 1st Division returned to the US for stateside duty. Paul was honorably discharged in 1945.
In 1954, Paul married Frances Mary LaRoche in Pittsburgh; in 1962, they moved to California. Paul and Frances had five children – two sons and three daughters. Paul died on February 16, 1992, and is buried with Frances in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, CA.